This one-year course provides a substantive and comprehensive introduction to the politics of Africa, Asia and the Middle East. It is designed for two types of students:
- Those keen to pursue a Masters degree but who do not have a background in the relevant subject area, and who seek academic foundations for more advanced studies.
- Professionals or mature students with an interest in furthering their knowledge of (international) politics, but who do not wish to embark on a full three-year undergraduate degree, or a Masters degree.
Students enrolled in the Certificate programme will study concepts and approaches that are foundational for analysing politics and international relations, and they are able to choose from a range of disciplinary and regional modules that enables them to design a programme tailored to their specific interests. This programme does not involve writing a dissertation.
Entry requirements
- The minimum entry requirement is the ability to demonstrate the potential to study at undergraduate level. However, programmes may have their own specific requirements, such as, in the case of language-based studies, a proven ability to learn a language.
Fees 2021/22
- UK fees:
- £7,326
- Overseas fees:
- £19,560
Fees for 2021/22 entrants. Please note that fees go up each year. Further details can be found in the Fees and Funding tab on this page or in the Undergraduate Tuition Fees page
Students have to take 120 undergraduate credits from those that are available to full-time undergraduate students, with whom they also attend lectures and tutorials. Course expectations are the same as for full time students (attendance, coursework, essays, annual examinations, etc). Passing the certificate at an upper second class standard is normally deemed to make a student eligible for the taught Master's degrees offered by the Department of Politics and International Studies at SOAS.
Students normally choose 60 introductory credits and 30 EACH from the Disciplinary and Regional units. The following is a list of available modules - please note that not every module may be available every year.
Introductory Units
Regional Units
Disciplinary Units
Programme Specification
Important notice
The information on the programme page reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. If you are a current student you can find structure information on the previous year link at the top of the page or through your Department. Please read the important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules.
Teaching & Learning
Most of our modules are taught through a combination of lectures and tutorials. Lectures (50 minutes) provide broad overviews of the topic. They are accompanied by tutorials (50 minutes) that give students the opportunity to discuss readings and key issues in small groups. In the final year, modules may also take the form of two-hour seminars allowing for deeper engagement with more specialised topics. The programme provides methodological and skills training throughout and allows final year students to undertake an independent research project, such as a dissertation, supervised by an academic member of staff.
By the end of the programme students will have acquired a range of transferable skills. This includes the ability to collect and synthesise information, read and evaluate complex materials, assess the evidence for a range of different positions, construct arguments, exercise independence of judgement and communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
Students also benefit from the vibrant learning environment SOAS provides more broadly. The SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. Moreover, every year there is a lively events programme that attracts renowned speakers from around the world, allowing students to engage with cutting edge debates on contemporary politics.
Tuition Fees
Full details of postgraduate tuition fees can be found on the Registry's Undergraduate Tuition Fees page.
Fees for 2021/22 entrants. Please note that fees go up each year.
Full-time |
UK Students |
Overseas Students |
£7,326 |
£19,560 |
How to apply
Applications are made directly to SOAS through the online application system, if you have any further questions please contact the Admissions Department on mastersadmissions@soas.ac.uk